Affection Touching Across Time
by Loverofallfiction
Summary: One wish destroyed the world of Tamriel, and a condemned Thedas was born from its ashes. As Cousland and Amell try to save the world from Blights and itself, they will challenge the belief that duty is more important than love. Multi Origins AU. DAO-DA3. Features: Cousland/Alistair ,Amell/Cullen, and Hawke/?. Beta read chapters. M rating for violence, adult content, and language.
1. Prologue: A simple wish

Hi All!

This is my first attempt of a Dragon Age story. I will have some themes from Skyrim but not any of the characters in the main plot. This story will not be Skyrim heavy nor do I think you need to have played Skyrim before reading this story. If I throw something from Skyrim in, it will be explained in the story for that particular chapter. This story will go through the Inquisition. I do not own Skyrim or the Dragon Age series, nor the cover image. Thanks for reading,reviewing, favoriting ,and following.

Oh shout out to Mystical Ninja Unicorns for beta-ing this chapter!

* * *

**Prologue: A simple wish**

Elena could not believe the scene before her eyes. A suspended Miraak was impaled by a tentacle and still alive. His ragged breathing was a sign that he had a few minutes at most before he succumbed to death.

"No matter, I have found a new dragonborn to serve me." Hermaeus Mora's gurgling voice brought Elena back to reality. She was not really paying attention to the dialogue between Miraak and the Daedric Prince of Fate. She wanted to leave now that her task was done.

"May she be rewarded for her service as I am." Miraak spitefully taunted as he faded away. Even in death, Miraak was arrogant. She wanted to yell at him to prove him wrong, but she couldn't due to the seed of fear planted in her heart. _What if Miraak was right?_

"Miraak harbored fantasies of rebelling against me." Elena felt her blood run cold. She had a sinking suspicion that Mora read her thoughts. "Learn from his example. Serve me faithfully and you will continue to be richly rewarded." Mora warned as he disappeared.

She was an unwilling pawn to the Daedric prince, a puppet to a demonic-like being. Miraak was in her position thousands of years ago and tried to escape his destiny._ But you don't want power_, _Miraak's fate was his own doing_. This justification did not quell the torment she felt within herself. Mora confirmed Miraak's claim. She felt like she was damned as she fell to her knees.

She threw off her ivory dragonbone helm and watched as it rolled towards the spot where Miraak died moments ago. She frowned as she recollected events that led her here and could not help letting out a frustrated scream.

Ever since Helgen, her path was filled with death and destruction. Along the way, the people of Skyrim selfishly pleaded with her to solve their problems since she was the dragonborn. Oh, how She hated that title. A person with the soul of the dragon who takes power from dragon souls. All she wanted was peace but what was peace? She thought she had garnered peace after she defeated the dragon, Alduin. A week following's Alduin's death, she received a missive from general Tullius to defend Skyrim against the Stormcloaks. As an Imperial, she was obligated to support the Empire. She would have remained neutral because she hated fighting. Her choice was made when she realized Ulfric's arrogance. On her first visit to Windhelm, she got lost in what was called the Gray Quarter . She heard the stories in the city of a few Nords getting drunk and harass the elves at night. This treatment made her upset and she petitioned Ulfric to end the segregation, but he told her that elves were not people. She did not want Ulfic's Skyrim, and she was glad when she ran her sword through his heart.

A few months after the civil war, she was attacked by vampires and she could not ignore the call to join the Dawnguard. In a way, she was glad she helped them to stop vampires from blacking out the sun. The idea of becoming cattle to such foul creatures disgusted her.

With vampire Lord Harkon's demise, she was going to get married in Riften to Hadvar of Riverwood, but it appeared that the divines had other plans. As Hadvar and Elena were exchanging their final vows. A group of masked cultists crashed their wedding and labeled her as the false Dragonborn. The thief guild members present survived because they left during the fighting, but Hadvar died. With a heart filled with revenge, she went to Solstheim, to pursue Miraak.

Elena rubbed her tear filled eyes. She had not realized that she had been crying nor did she feel the pain from grabbing her midnight black hair. Miraak's death did not bring her any comfort. Hadvar was not alive in front of her. She was left in Apocrypha, hollow and utterly alone.

She wanted an end to everything. She wanted a world where there was no fighting between brothers. A world where people can practice religion freely. She closed her eyes as she remembered that her destiny was foretold before her birth,and she did not want to wish the same on anyone else. Most importantly, she wanted a world that was not manipulated by the gods and that humans decided the fate of the world.

* * *

_Many Years later_

If one asked Teryn Bryce Cousland when was the saddest day of his life, he would respond the day his parents went to the Maker's side. Now, he would have to add the day his daughter was born.

What should have been a happy day for the Cousland family was filled with tragedy. Eleanor's pregnancy was normal. She had never complained about the pregnancy ,and she was positively glowing at the prospect of bringing another Cousland into the world. According to the midwife's assistant, things were going well.

Fergus could not sit still due to his excitement of having another sibling. The Teryn could not help but smile at his son's antics, but he quickly frowned when he saw the assistant return with a grim face.

He had a gut feeling that the news would be terrible. He put a hand over his face to rub his tense facial muscles. He did not want to worry his son.

"Da,what's wong?" Fergus was always an attentive child, reminding the Teryn of his younger self. If Bryce's heart was not already breaking, then his heart would have been filled with pride.

"David, please escort my son to his room." The older man ordered while maintaining his calm façade. The faithful guard broke Fergus's protest when he promised to show Fergus how to use a sword.

Normally, the Teyrn would have protested, since Fergus was too young to hold a sword, but he was thankful that his son was gone.

"What happened?" He could hear that his voice was starting to crack, but he had to remain strong in front of his staff.

The assistant looked towards the room and hesitated. She wondered whether if it was better to be blunt or to sugar coat the issue. "I am sorry your grace. The baby' She could not find the right words and decided to look at the floor before continuing. "…was stuck for a while and the lady passed out from a fever. " When she saw the Teryn's eyes widen, she had to finish her report. "The fever broke not to long ago. All Lady Cousland needs is some rest." She hesitated to let the Teryn see his wife, but perhaps the best thing was for him to have the reassurance that his wife was okay. "Do you want to see them?"

He wordlessly followed the assistant into the room and saw his wife passed out from exhaustion, and a couple of attendants still cleaning up the area. The attendants briefly looked up from their tasks and gave the Teryn a sympathetic look. He quickly looked away from the people in the room and returned his attention to his wife. He kissed his wife on the brow and wiped a few strand of reddish, blonde hair that were stuck to her face by sweat.

Something about a baby broke his train of thought. He had not noticed that the midwife approached him carrying a small bundle. If he did not know any better, he would say that the baby was sleeping. He looked at the midwife in confusion for he did not know what to say or how to act.

"She is a girl." The midwife smiled sadly seeing the lost look on the Teryn's face. She calmly held the baby out for him to take and watched his face turn into a tortured look ,while his arms shook as though the baby was heavy. She respected the Cousland family because they were good people. She wished the day turned out differently because the Couslands were very faithful to the Maker.

The baby was stillborn. She had Eleanor's soft facial features and Bryce's nose looking very much like a noble Cousland. The Teryn felt his entire being fill up with sorrow, and his heart grow heavy." Keep her until Eleanor wakes up. "

He gently handed the baby over to the midwife with as much care ,as though she was alive, and briskly walked into his study. Whiskey was tempting but he had to remain sober for his wife when she awoke.

He had prayed for the Maker for everything to go well during his wife's pregnancy, and now he knew the Maker turned his back on them. Sure, Eleanor and he could try to have another baby, but they were not getting any younger. Before the baby was born, he had a feeling that she would be special, but now he would never know.

Within the solitude and privacy of the room, there did the noble Cousland finally break down. No one heard his heartache and sorrow echo across the room.

"Your grace!" Bryce closed his eyes silently cursing these interruptions. Wasn't he allowed to properly grieve? Honestly, he did not know how long he was in the room. He was going to reprimand the servant to leave him in peace, until he recognized a sound from the closed door of his study.

His breath hitched when he heard the cry, which sounded like music to his ears. He did not bother to wipe his tear stained face. Maybe he was going crazy because the baby was definitely dead, but he desperately wanted the baby to be alive. His closed off door separated him from reality. He slowly reached for the door and hesitated and prayed to the Maker for his sanity. He felt the adrenaline coursing through veins, as he opened his study door, revealing a servant with a small bundle.

Small tear filled green eyes met his tear filled green.

His baby girl was alive.

* * *

In another, realm a being watched the scene unfold in Highever.

**For thousands of years you waited, y****earning for a new world**

**A world born from the old arise,**

**Yet, its people forgot the Maker and brought ****heaven's demise**

**Now from the abyss where your soul doth swirled**

**To help one bring about change,**

**Is all I require for this exchange.**

**Although, you may not realize your wish came with a price,**

**My words of ****promise are a warning to suffice,**

**In the name of the Maker, so let it be.**

* * *

A/N Please let me know what you will like to see or suggestions for this story via review or PM. I tend to learn from experience and your opinions are helpful. This is perhaps the shortest chapter of the story about 1800 words. I usually shoot between 3-5K. The next few chapters will be designated for Solona Amell. I need to find a good cover art for this but it will take a while. A new update will be next week.


	2. Part 1: The Stigma of Magic

Hey all! I am glad that this story has gotten a lot of views since it has been published. At least, I know it interests people and it inspires me to write more : )

Before I forget, I don't really care if people review nor am I the type of person who begs for reviews. In the case that people do review anonymously or logged in, I wanted to point out that I do respond to them after the A/N of every chapter. Until next time, thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following. You all are awesome!

I apologize in advance to grammar mistakes and typos that were missed I do not own Dragon Age or Skyrim. If I did, then I would not be in grad school.

Shout out to Mystical Ninja Unicorns for beta-ing this chapter.

* * *

**Part 1: The Wardens**

* * *

**The world fears w****hat it does not understand,**

**Yet it's one of the costs of your simple demand**

**Magic was once a sign of pride, now it is a tragedy,**

**Since those with the gift are viewed with a malady**

**Condemned into an isolated prison called a tower,**

**Without hope, dreams, families, and power,**

**When you realize the price, will you have regret,**

**Or will the realization make you want to forget?**

**For this bargain required a monumental fee,**

**In the name of the Maker, so let it be.**

* * *

If someone asked if Revka Amell was dissatisfied with her life, she would wholeheartedly disagree. What was there to complain about? Her uncle was one of the most wealthy and influential men in Kirkwall. Since the unfortunate arrest of Perrin Threnhold, her uncle, Lord Astride Amell, was considered to be the new Viscount.

She was perfectly content with her life. She married a handsome noble and they were blessed with a wonderful daughter, Solona. On warm sunny days, Revka would often take Solona through the cobbled streets of the Hightown market to browse the wares.

On this particular summer day, the pair was continuing their tradition. The older woman could not help but smile at her daughter's happiness at picking flowers. Her daughter's smiles were contagious. Although Solona was six, Revka had a feeling that she would blossom into a beautiful girl. She silently chuckled at the image of her husband fending off potential suitors. The young spirited girl in question ran towards her mother at a great pace, allowing her blue dress to billow behind her. Revka's arm felt weak, as though losing circulation, the longer it was in Solona's grasp.

Revka looked in the direction her daughter was dragging her. In the distance, stood an animal enclosure pen. The small barks revealed the identity of the animal, earning a frustrated sigh from the older woman. Her motherly instincts were warning her that Solona was not dragging her to just look at the puppies.

"Look, mommy! Puppies! Aren't they cute?" Revka's curiosity got the best of her and she decided to look at them. They were ugly and wrinkly. Did they even have eyes? Then the dreaded question followed. "Can I please have a mabari?" Her daughter's excitement was loud enough for her to hear over the traffic of the Hightown market.

The little girl batted her eyelashes, as her blue eyes pleaded with her mother. The older woman opened her mouth in surprise and quickly closed it in disgust. She had heard that those Ferelden dogs smelled wet constantly. She frowned in distaste at the possibility of adorning their house with that smell. She put a hand under her chin trying to think of ways to gently dissuade her daughter.

"Why do you want a mabari? Are you planning to join the army?" The puppies were fighting over a rag doll, and she thought they were rather aggressive. Her disapproval for the foul creatures grew the longer she observed them. She cringed at the thought of the furniture having teeth marks. She silently prayed to the Maker that her daughter's fantasies were about being a princess. With luck, she could make up awful stories about the dogs, so she could discourage her daughter.

"No,even better! I am going to be a hero like the knight Aveline!"The younger girl held up an imaginary sword and pretended to be swatting some unseen enemy. All she needed was a mabari pup on her side, and she could start saving damsels in distress to pillaged villages.

"A hero?" The mother asked with amusement laced in her voice but glad her daughter dropped the issue. She had to admire her daughter's imagination. She knelt down to be eye level with her daughter. "I don't doubt that one day you will be a hero. Until then," She poked her daughter on the nose. "I am going to teach you how to become a lady. If you are still interested, you can pick up a sword and marry a sweet knight." She gently squeezed her daughter's shoulder with affection as she lifted herself up.

Solona smiled at her mother's words and wanted to show her mother that she was closer to being a hero than she believed. "Papa is going to teach me how to use a sword, when he returns." She quipped with pride.

Revka wanted to strangle her husband for encouraging their daughter's fanciful beliefs. Well, she was going to have a long talk with her husband when he returned from Ferelden . "Well your father-"

A man brushing up against her interrupted the older Amell. She unconsciously touched her side and felt the absence of an object. _Unbelievable, really?_

"That man is a thief." Unfortunately, the declaration was not subtle, and the man started to run, since his cover was blown. Revka silently cursed her indiscretion.

"Lady Amell, is everything okay?" A patron observed the Lady's distress.

Revka looked at the man in disbelief. Did he not see the man who bolted from the square moments ago? "No, a thief stole my coin purse…" She was going to give her account, until she realized that her daughter disappeared.

* * *

That man was bad stealing from her mother. Solona was running after the thief, not as fast as she would have liked, due to her short legs. She huffed in irritation, since the other grownups were not stepping in to help. Her frustration increased, the more distance she covered. If she did not do anything soon, then the thief would get away.

A brilliant idea came to mind. In her stories, the heroes stopped their enemies because they were confident. Her solution was to become a hero. _That's right, this will work!_ Solona smiled to herself while throwing her fist in the air in determination. "Stop it right there, thief!" She pointed her finger accusingly at the thief 's retreating back to challenge him.

Luck did not seem to be on Revka's side, since the square was crowded. It seemed children had a lot of energy. Maybe she was not in shape or she was getting old. _Thank the Maker_. She was glad her daughter stopped because she was out of breath. _What is that girl doing? _She slowly approached her daughter's stationary figure in confusion. Did she think she could challenge a thief? The thief could keep the money in the pouch, as long as her daughter remained unscathed. What she saw next made her blood run cold.

Solona squealed in delight when a spark of lighting shot out of her finger, causing the thief to stumble facedown on the ground. Expecting to be congratulated for her deed, she clapped her hands in excitement. The environment ruined her cheerful mood. Instead of excitement, she was greeted with uncomfortable silence. The people in the square were giving her the same look as her father when caught stealing out of the cookie jar. _What did I do wrong?_ Her grim attitude changed back to excitement when her mother did not share the sentiment.

Revka could see disgusted glances directed towards her daughter and her. The citizens were murmuring about a mage and disgrace. She continued to hold her head high trying to appear unaffected, but her burning red cheeks indicated otherwise.

"Come on Solona."She commanded with a tone of finality. She could not stand the embarrassment or the shame. She tugged her daughter's arm to follow her, but the stubborn girl refused to move. Her breath hitched when she saw the excited look in Solona's eyes. The eyes were filled with pride."Mommy did you see-"

"Not now, Solona. We are going home," Revka snapped closing her eyes in frustration. Her family will soon hear about this. She would be a disgrace to the family. Not to mention, the templars would be banging at their door to take Solona away.

Solana clutched her hand but did not look at her. From the shaking of her hand, she could tell that Solana was silently crying. Revka took deep calming breaths and felt guilty. She could not fault her daughter for she had no control of being born a mage.

* * *

It did not take long for the Amells to reach their Hightown mansion. Word traveled fast and the crowd parted from them, as though they had the plague. As soon as she closed the door to their home, she released her daughter's hand and started sobbing into her hands.

"I am so sorry, Solona. I have been a horrible mother. I hope you forgive me someday." Revka felt at fault for giving her daughter magic. No one else had brought magic into the family, with the exception of Leandra. Now, she could not even protect her daughter from the templars, who were banging on the door.

"Revka Amell, by the order of the Chantry open this door or we will use force." A domineering voice ordered from behind the door.

She felt dead staring at the door. She could not prevent the feeling of failure from clouding her mind. These feelings did not dissipate, as she threaded her fingers through Solona's black hair.

The sound of a door opening ,accompanied by the sounds of heavy metal clanking across the floor, broke the silence of the house. The fire's light reflected off the shiny armor and Revka looked up at the shadow towering over her. Her empty blue eyes stared at the templar's glaring brown.

"You know how this ends Revka, now step aside." Ser Alrik tried to get the older woman's attention. After being met with silence, the lieutenant grabbed her by the arm and shoved her to the nearest templar. The push was enough to bring Revka back to reality. In her home, there were five templars and one was reaching out for Solona.

"Stop, she is just a child!" The mother pleaded fighting the templar's cold grasp. Solona was becoming upset at the display of force, and Revka did not want her to use magic. "Honey, calm down. You are going to be okay" If Solona fought back, the templars may kill her.

"She is dangerous. The order dictates that she must be brought to the Circle." Alrik's sleazy voice rattled off the line as though it was rehearsed. The delivery was with gusto showing how much he was enjoying the situation. The situation could be ten times more enjoyable if the girl was made tranquil. _Oh the possiblilities. _ He leered at Solona.

"Will she be remaining in the Kirkwall Circle?" Just one confirmation of her fear would kill the small sliver of hope that was in her heart.

Alrik scoffed and stifled his laughter. He had to look away in order to speak to her seriously. This woman was pretty dense for a noble. "Honestly, if you were your uncle, what would you do?"

Her uncle was going to make damned sure that his niece was shipped to the farthest Circle from Kirkwall. A mage would make a mockery of the Amell name. Revka's shoulders sunk in defeat. The method of communication would be limited to writing and occasional visits. "Let me say goodbye at least. "

"You don't get goodbyes. We are leaving." Alrik answered without leaving room for argument.

The older Amell was not going to let the matter drop. She ran to the door to block the Templars' exit. "What if this was your child . I am sure you would feel the same as me?" If only the templar was not bald, she would have pulled his hair out by now.

"Well she isn't." Alrik was annoyed that the mother was wasting their time. "Now, get out our way." This was the only warning that she was going to get. If he resorted to force, he would have to knock her out.

"Your commander respects my uncle, he will hear about this." This was a weak argument and Alrik's dark laugh in response proved this fact.

Alrik decided to humor her. "Very well, he respects him now, but what will the city think once they find out the soon to be viscount family has magic?" The Templar paused and decided the tortured expression on her face was good sign to continue. "You know this will not end well for you and your family either way. You have five minutes with her." He nodded to templar holding Solona. As soon as, Samson let the girl go, she ran to her mother.

"You know that I love your right?" She cupped her daughters face and wiped the tears away, smiling sadly.

Solona wondered why the templars were in their house being scary. Her mother and father told her they were knights that protected people from ugly monsters. She already knew that her mother loved her, but that did not explain why her mother was upset."I love you too mommy, but-"

"Do you see these men?" Revka interrupted to show Solona the gravity of the situation with the remaining time. She accepted the nod from her daughter before continuing. "They are going to take you far away."

"No, I want to stay with you!" She had a feeling she could stop these men like the thief. She was not going to get taken away. _I will not let them hurt us!_

Revka and all the templars became nervous when the hairs on their skin started to stand followed by the sound of electricity.

Ser Alrik became uncomfortable because they never had a child fight back, nor did he want to start a trend. "Stop her!" Revka's eyes grew wide with fear when she saw the Templars' hands glowed blue, suspecting that they were going to try and drain the magic away.

The mother hugged her daughter with all her might to console and protect her. "Shh ,calm down, sweetheart. Mommy's here." She soothed while rubbing Solona's back. The cracking sound in the air ceased and she saw from the corner of her eye that the templars relaxed. "You have … a gift." She threw a glare at the templar who snorted at her choice of words. "These men will take you to a place to train you to be a hero."

"More like take her to a place and strike her down for being an abomination." The templar mumbled under his breath clearly uncomfortable.

Squeezing Solona's hands in comfort, she smiled at her daughter, but it did not quite reach her eyes. "If you master your gift, it will make me proud. If your father was here, he would be proud of you."

Solona could not believe that her dream was coming true but she had to lose her family in exchange. She wanted to cry very badly but she knew that crying would not change her situation. She tightly closed her eyes and took deep calming breaths to fight back the tears. She was going to do everything in her power to live up to her promise. "I will make you both proud, mommy!" _I will become strong._

"I know you will, my sweet girl." Revka whispered as she felt the hold on her daughter's hand loosen until the contact was broken completely. She tearfully watched her daughter's retreating back and saw the templars slam the door. The forceful sound echoing across the room was a sign that she would never see her daughter again.

* * *

The Templars and their charge boarded a boat in Kirkwall and landed in the port of Denerim. From there, they marched their way to the Circle tower.

With the exception of Samson, the templars ignored Solona throughout the whole trip. Samson had asked newly appointed Knight Commander Meridith to allow him to watch over Solona, because he wanted to get out of Kirkwall. In reality, he felt sorry for Solona, and he did not want her to get mistreated. It hurt his heart to see this girl put up a strong front, despite being torn away from her family. He made a vow to help mages in the future.

"What is that noise?" A soft voice interrupted Samson's thoughts.

Samson shook his head in confusion to snap himself back to reality. _What noise? _He listened and recognized the sounds that caught the girl's curiosity.

"The chirping that you hear is due to crickets." He paused for a minute until he heard a stronger sound overpower the cricket's sound. "The croaking that you hear is due to frogs." He smiled at the look of wonderment on Solona's face. He put his right hand over her back to gently guide her. "If we go up this hill, we will approach Lake Calenhad."

There were no lakes in Kirkwall. There may have been lakes outside of the city, but Solona's parents did not take her to see one. She wondered if it would be transparent as it is described in books. From the distance, a huge tower protruded out of the lake towering all of the scenery. The tower appeared to have an ethereal glow from the moon's bright light.

"Wow, that's amazing." Solona was in awe. The viscount estate paled in comparison to the display in front of her.

"You think this tower is nice? Then great! It is going to be your home from now on." A Templar rebuked with sarcasm and quickly walked away, while shaking his head at the thought of not getting paid enough to deal with crazy mages.

Solona did not notice the slight and wordlessly boarded the boat to go across the lake.

The air was damp, a clear sign that it had rained earlier in the day. She watched as the moon reflected off the rippling water. She wondered if this was only a dream and cupped some of water only to see it fluidly drop back. No this was real, almost like the beginning of a grand adventure. She could not help but let out a sad sigh. If only her parents were here.

The boat ride did not seem very long. As they approached the tower, she could see that it was made of stone. The moss accenting the tower indicated that it was centuries old. As they approached the wooden door, she could not help but feel nervous about venturing into the unknown.

* * *

First Echanter Irving was waiting in the front of the stairs with Knight Commander Greagior. They were expecting a delivery of a young mage from Kirkwall. It was very rare to get a mage transfer, unless the matter was political. Unfortunately, both men were kept in the dark with the details.

"So, what is the story with this one, Irving?"Knight Commander Greagoir adjusted his armor to look professional. In reality, he was probing Irving to see whether the older man knew more than himself. "Another mage who set something on fire?" He did not expect anything different. All of the mages were discovered accidently, unless they were apostates who get ratted out by the community.

Irving was going ask why the templar did not read the report but then he remembered the Commander was absent from the tower for some meeting. He ran a hand through his silvery, pepper hair in annoyance. "Not exactly. A young child thought she could take down a thief. She is from a noble family of Kirkwall and has an aptitude for primal and spirit magic."

"Spirit magic?" Greagoir scratched his midnight black hair in confusion. "How can you tell it was spirit magic, if you weren't there?" He had never heard of this class. Not that he cared. Putting a name to something allowed room for attachment. Magic was magic. Everything with magic was too complicated.

Irving scowled at the templar's accusation. "Yes, it is definitely spirit magic. The templars witnessed a forcefield and had to suck the magic away to reach the girl. Force fields are due to spirit magic. Trained correctly, she could be a force to be reckoned with." Irving crossed his arms thinking about the best way to handle their new charge. They had to tread carefully with promising mages. In the past, he watched these mages become cocky and failing their Harrowing.

"I suppose that is true." Greagoir grunted in agreement. "Do we have a spirit mage here?" He would have to get a templar to observe these spirit mages personally. The more magic documented the more templars would not be kept in the dark when the situation arise. His face tightened in concentration. He could not take any chances with this young mage. Mages with power were like a beacon for demons.

"Yes, Neloth. He is getting rather old. I would like her to learn from him first, after her preliminary training."

The conversation was cut short when the front door creaked open, revealing a squad of Templars marching into the Circle. In the middle of the formation was a young girl.

The captain of the squad walked forward hitting his right hand on his armor above his heart in greeting. "Knight Commander, Greagoir, and First Enchanter, Irving. We come from the Kirkwall Templar order to escort the mage Solona Amell.

The lack of windows in the tower made Solona feel secluded. The black-haired commander was adorned in silver heavy armor with a sword of mercy insignia. He looked as though he had fought in many battles but seemed fair. To the commander's left, stood an old gray haired man wearing purple robes. Solona thought the First Enchanter looked wise.

"Thank you men. Ser Bryant will escort you to the Barracks." Greagoir acknowledged the greeting. The templars followed their guide leaving behind Solona, who was looking expectantly at the three elders.

Irving looked at Greagoir a little confused. He was glad to see that his fellow templar was taken aback by the girl's lack of apprehension. "Do you know why you are here." Greagoir stepped forward with hands behind his back, ready to give a lecture.

"I am going to be trained in using my gifts to become a hero. " Solona beamed with pride. She wanted to make a good impression, so she could develop her skills.

Both men looked at each other with raised eyebrows and laughed, as well as the elder woman mage present.

Irving was impressed. Solona would find out what her gifts actually were in due time. She had an interesting ambition and he hoped that she found a purpose. "I am sure you shall my dear. Wynne, can you please escort young Solona to her quarters?"

"I shall, Irving." Wynne held out her hand for Solona to take. The girl eagerly took it and followed the elder mage out the door.

"You mages attract the oddest sort." Since Greagoir could not openly favor mages, his comment translated to "I like her. She has spunk."

"If I did not know any better, I would say this is the first time I heard you complement a mage, Greagoir." Irving joked. He and Greagoir had a mutual respect for each other. They were not always at each others throats ,except when the situation warranted it.

Greagoir rolled his eyes at the older mage. "Well, it is not everyday you see a six year old kid come into the tower without a snotty nose and crying." This was a welcome change but Greagoir never wished when it came to mages, because his attitude would soften again just like with- He closed his eyes to fight back a distant memory. He was living in the present and not the past. "A hero she says." This was an interesting thought. Most mage children wanted to learn, but this girl wanted to make something of herself. " I think she will be a handful in the future. "The templars would definitely need to keep an eye on her.

"We shall see, Greagior." Irving mused. Solona could be a great mage or the most dangerous one that the Circle ever produced.

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**A/N** Sitting at 3987 words, chapter one is complete. The stanzas will not be in every chapter. Only when an important event happens. I will go into more detail why these stanzas are in this story. In addition,I wanted to give some background for Solona Amell before the tower and the Templar Samson, who will have a big role to play in the Kirkwall arc. The next chapter will be two chapters in one, since I need to finish writing my school paper I can't post until it is done. It will feature the growing relationship between Solona and Cullen. I think the third chapter will be the last of Solona's background before moving to Elissa Cousland.

**Response To reviews**

Thepkrmgc: Thank you for your review for chapter one. I am glad that this story caught your interest. I plan to take this story in a different direction and I hope you will not be disappointed.


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